SUBSCRIBE!

The Best Food & Photos from my family kitchen in St. John\'s, Newfoundland - over 1600 fantastic family friendly home cooking and baking recipes for everyday life. From quick and easy weekday dinners to Slow cooked Sundays, indulgent desserts and new entertaining ideas, Rock Recipes is your one stop place to get all the cooking and baking inspiration you need.

The Best Pecan Pie Bars. So easy to make!

The Best Pecan Pie Bars. This easy recipe includes a simple shortbread bottom and a one bowl mix & pour topping. Tips for baking and cutting them are included.

The Best Pecan Pie Bars

There are many recipes out there for pecan pie bars and I had to play with a few of them before I got one I quite liked. For me there seemed to be a lot of recipes that didn’t have the right ratio of egg in the filling or didn’t bake for a sufficient time, so the middle was too runny.

There are other recipes that didn’t pre-bake the shortbread layer for long enough and it was too wet in the end. Other recipes called for pecans to be added to the simple shortbread crust which I thought was overkill. With so many crunchy pecans on top, why not leave the buttery shortbread to be a distinctly different layer?

I hesitated to post this recipe at all because there are so many versions of it already on line but after tweaking my own recipe and adding a couple of tips I think work well, I decided to share the recipe that works best for me. I hope it does the same for you.

The Best Pecan Pie Bars. So quick & easy to prepare.

Thanksgiving update 2016!

This recipe has been the runway hit of the Thanksgiving season this year with thousands of hits a day in Thanksgiving week and thousands of re-pins on Pinterest too. There are lots of grave reviews for this super easy recipe too.

Since they freeze very well too, make sure you have more on hand in the freezer for Christmas as well.

The Best Pecan Pie Bars - this easy recipe includes a simple shortbread bottom and a one bowl mix and pour topping.

Course:
Cookies

Cuisine:
North American

Servings: 36cookie bars

Author: Barry C. Parsons

Ingredients

1¾cupsall purpose flour

½cupsugar

¾cupcold butter

For the top layer

⅔cupfirmly packed brown sugar

⅓cup+1 tbsp flour

4large or extra large eggs

1tablespoonvanilla extract

½tspsalt

1½cupscorn syrupdark is best

2cupsroughly chopped pecansno need to toast the pecans

Instructions

This recipe uses a 9x13 baking pan. In this recipe I think it is best to line to lightly grease the pan and line it with parchment paper so that you can lift the entire batch out of the pan after they have cooled and cut them on a cutting board. With cookie bars like this, which have different textures in the different layers, this enables you to have a more precise feeling for how to cut them well. More about that a little later in the recipe.

Mix together the 1/34 cups flour and ½ cup sugar. Rub the butter through the flour mixture until it is well incorporated and resembles a dry coarse meal. (You can pulse the butter into the flour mixture using a food processor if you prefer.)

Press the crumb mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan and bake for 20 minutes. The edges should just be starting to brown. Remove from oven and pour on the topping while still hot.

To prepare the top layer of the cookie bars

Mix together the flour and brown sugar well. This will ensure there will be no lumps of either flour or brown sugar in you cookie bars when baked. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla extract, salt and corn syrup.

Let the mixture stand for about 15 minutes while the bottom layer pre-bakes, stirring it occasionally. This gives the flour time to soften and help thicken the top layer.

Mix in the chopped pecans and pour the topping over the partially baked bottom crust as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes until the filling is set. Times vary a few minutes depending on the baking pan material. Shake the pan a little. The center can wobble a little like set jelly but it should not be runny.

Cool the pan to room temperature before chilling the cookie bars in the fridge for several hours or overnight before attempting to cut them

I lift the cookies from the pan after they have fully cooled in the fridge and lay them out on a cutting board. I've found the best thing to use is a sharp serrated knife held horizontally to saw through the nut layer before pushing on through to the softer layers below. I cut one entire row of cookies off at a time and then cut each row separately into individual cookie bars.

As these are quite rich I tend to cut them a little smaller than other cookie bars.

Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.

Reader Interactions

Real food recipes for real people

Sign up for our free newsletter to never miss any of the new recipes from my family's kitchen. Get seasonal cooking & baking suggestions, giveaway alerts, PLUS recipe round-ups for holidays and occasions too!

Hi, I am from Southern Louisiana and I just have to tell you how wonderful this recipe was. So easy, so pretty and so delicious! My daughter and I made them today, everyone loved them. I can’t wait to try this recipe out during the holidays! Thanks for sharing.

I followed this recipe to a ‘t’ last Thanksgiving and they turned out perfectly! They were a huge hit with everyone and looked exactly like your picture. By popular demand I am making them again this year. Thanks so much for posting your ‘tweaked’ recipe.

We made these for Thanksgiving and our 8 year wedding anniversary and they turned out amazing!!!! My husband said these are his all time favorite thing I make now and he likes a lot of my baking!!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!!

I made these today and they turned out beautiful. One major modification I made was to substitute brown sugar syrup (1 1/2 cup brown sugar + 5 tbsp water) for corn syrup. I was very nervous until it came out. I’m so glad it didn’t ruin your perfect pecan pie recipe. And I noticed a minor typo in the instruction (3) for base that it has to be 1 3/4 cups instead of “1/34 cups flour …”

Made these today although I believe That baking for 40min was too long, they were overdone 🙁
Just wanted to make sure it’s 1 Tablespoon of pure vanilla extract? Usually it’s a Teaspoon!
Just making sure.
I will try to make them again but this time I will keep a closer eye on how long they bake 🙂

Hi Barry…thank you so much for this recipe. I have tried pecan pie bars a number of times and they never turned out. I am usually unable to make any kind of a pastry crust but it turned out beautifully!!! The filling is wonderful too ; not too runny. This is my Christmas gift to friends this year. I know they will love it!

I made these last weekend for a church function and they are delicious and easy to make! Using the parchment paper and pulling them out before cutting is great! I just put another batch in the oven adding orange zest and chopped walnuts just to see how they tasted!
Great recipe!

Im gonna try this today and have read it all and comments. I guess I’m gonna ask again and know you stated the pecans get mixed in but in the picture it looks like they either get put on after and pressed in the filling or just float to the top of the filling while baking. My question is do the pecans raise to the top while baking?

I’ve made a LOT of different pecan pie bars. But after making this one, I don’t even bother with any others. This is by far the best and easiest I’ve ever made, and everyone LOVES them. I don’t use dark corn syrup, but I do use 1 1/4 cup corn syrup and 1/4 cup molasses (that is pretty much what dark corn syrup is so it’s not really even a substitute).

Hello Barry, I clicked on a link to your blog from a Google recommendation, and, WOW. I feel like I have come across a goldmine. I cannot wait to try your recipes. I have a general question: do you use salted, half-salted or unsalted butter?
I plan to try your pecan bar recipe for a party this weekend. Thanks in advance!
– Vim

I love pecan pie,but found out I have celiacs and the gluten free flour does not perform as regular flour. Have you tried to do any gluten free recipes? After looking at the pictures and reading the coments, my mouth is watering. Thanks

Hi Barry 😊.. can’t wait to try this filling recipe.. but I have a question that I did not see anyone else address.. if so, then forgive the duplicate question: what would be the bake time if adding the filling to mini phyllo shells? How long would you suggest it would take for the filling to set if using the shells instead of baking the 9×13 crust? Thank you..

Wow!! I don’t bake very much, but this recipe was so easy to follow. Mine didn’t come out quite as pretty, but they are darn delicious! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe and helpful tips. I can’t wait to bring this dessert to Thanksgiving!

Hi Barry
I was wondering if I could use wax paper on my pans instead of parchment paper
I just joined your site and have made your mice, snowballs, gumdrop cookies and apricot squares…all are delicious
Thank you so much
Sally

Looking forward to making these tomorrow for thanksgiving! I do, however, have to travel 5-6 hours thanksgiving morning to our destination…any suggestions on traveling with these bars? Cooler? Or can they stay in pan uncut and just ride in car temperature?

Hi, I was just wondering how you go about freezing these, and your cookies and other bars you have on here??
I commented before but it doesn’t seem to be here… Can you use freezer bags to freeze or does it absolutely have to be airtight containers? Also do you freeze in single layers or separate the bars with parchment paper?

Depends on the cookies. If using bags for things like cookie balls, I freeze them on a tray first. Most cookie bars should be stored in airtight containers. If stacking with parchment before. Freeze on a tray first, like the cookie balls.

I used butter from a tub and had a hard time rubbing it into the flour for the bottom layer, so it is more doughy than “crumb like”…is there still a chance it’ll turn out OK? FYI- I’ve never made pecan pie or anything similar :/

Absolutely delicious and easy. I made the base gluten free with Orgran plain gluten free flour. I also substituted rice malt for the corn syrup. We had a Christmas party yesterday and gave the recipe to almost everyone who tried it! Thanks as it can be tricky to make gluten and dairy free food mainstream.

Just wanted to say these are delicious. I modified the recipe to make it gluten and dairy free using a gf flour and vegan becel. The crust is a bit difficult to work with getting it pressed in but the recipe as a whole turns out great.

Have just started following your blog and your recipes look so good. These squares will be the first on my list but there are so many I want to try. Do you think raisins could be substituted for the pecans just to switch it up a bit.?

I usually never leave comments, but I had been craving pecan pie for a while. I usually will buy a slice, but the place that usually carries it, was out. So, I was going to buy a store made pecan pie, but they looked unappealing and were over priced. I came across this recipe on Pinterest and my problem was sovled. This was one of the easiest recipes, and the bars turned out great! They did not stay in the fridge long. Thank you so much for this recipe!

Such glowing reviews and a dessert that will go a lot further than a pecan pie when baking for company. The only dessert that my son likes is pecan pie, so he is going to adore these bars. Now I must skedaddle to the grocery store to buy the ingredients!. Thank-you, Barry.

Hi Barry, can’t believe some of the questions people ask you!!!!! You have everything posted in this recipe. Can’t wait to make these, I;ve been looking for a recipe like yours, thanks for posting this Susie

Primary Sidebar

HELLO! WELCOME TO ROCK RECIPES “One of the Best Food Blogs in Canada” – The National Post

Hi, I'm Barry. I'm Dad to 2 amazing kids, author of 3 best-selling cookbooks, a freelance food writer & full time blogger. My lifetime love of cooking & baking has led me to share over 1600 recipes on this blog over the last 10 years. Come back often, there's always great new food & recipes coming out of my St. John's, Newfoundland kitchen!

Sign up for our free newsletter to never miss any of the new recipes from my family's kitchen. Get seasonal cooking & baking suggestions, giveaway alerts, PLUS recipe round-ups for holidays and occasions too!